


as there is life there is danger

by imaginarypasta



Series: as there is life [1]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Father-Son Relationship, Identity Reveal, Light Angst, Mother-Son Relationship, Not D-Stabilized Compliant, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom), season 3? i hardly know her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:48:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21777052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginarypasta/pseuds/imaginarypasta
Summary: This started as a one-shot about Maddie finding Phantom hurt in the kitchen, but turned into something a bit bigger pretty quickly. Danny finally opens up to his parents about being Phantom.
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Jack Fenton, Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton, Danny Fenton & Maddie Fenton
Series: as there is life [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1581622
Comments: 53
Kudos: 592





	1. Chapter 1

Danny’s hand rested upon the kitchen counter, using it as a crutch while his other arm wrapped itself around the wound running deep across his stomach. He’d only just barely made it home, not even able to climb the stairs to his bedroom yet, but he stood still, arm holding in the viscous ectoplasm trying to sneak passed his flesh, and core holding his form together, just so he didn’t bleed out. The ground should have been solid beneath his feet, but he felt heavy with exhaustion and it seemed like it might give out any minute.

At least he knew he wouldn’t fall through the floor to the basement — he couldn’t use his powers if he wanted to, exhaustion pulled at his body, urging him to just lay down on the ground. His breath stayed unmoving in his throat until a click came from behind him and he spun around to see her.

He didn’t know if he hadn’t heard her because of the thumping in his head or because she was just so stealthy, but there she was, his mom with her pajamas on — the ones covered in the little superhero masks on the pants and “Super Mom” emblazoned on the shirt, the ones he and Jazz had gotten her for Christmas years ago — and a gun aimed at him, safety off.

The little purr of the weapon was familiar, he’d heard it hundreds of times when his parents got startled into thinking a ghost was nearby, and he was no less friendly with the business end, they had it pointed at this version of him on the regular. But then he was safe, then he could easily dodge their blasts. Now he was sluggish, chained down by pain and lethargy.

“The hell are you doing in my house, ghost kid?” she asked, voice quiet but filled with malice, eyebrows stitched together, and face contorted in a way it never was towards her son. He tried to pull himself into invisibility, but he felt his form flicker when he did and decided not to take that risk.

He gathered his thoughts as quickly as he could, the anxiety now coursing through his veins not doing much to help. “Sorry, I’ll be on my way soon.”

Maddie scowled, “That doesn’t answer my question.”

A sudden arc of pain made him squeeze his arm closer to his stomach and clench his eyes closed. When they opened, the room was too bright. Darkness still surrounded it, the only lights came from the soft glow around his body and the clock on the oven, always two minutes fast, but his head was _killing_ him. His eyes locked onto the black and white squares on the ground.

Danny sighed and said, “Just needed a moment to recoup.” He didn’t need to see well in the dark to know her eyebrow had quirked up in curiosity, but he saw it anyway.

“In _my_ house?”

“Didn’t know it was yours,” he retorted.

“You didn’t see the sign?” she smirked. “I’ve been told it’s quite bright.”

“I came through the back.”

“You seem hurt,” she said after a moment of consideration; it was almost a question. “Why?”

“Got in a fight with a ghost. Not a nice guy, really did a number me.”

“You misunderstand me, Phantom.” He started when she used his name; he’d never actually heard her say it before. She didn’t seem to notice the small shake amongst many. “Why are you acting hurt? Ghosts don’t feel pain.”

He let out an exasperated breath.

“Right, you’ve said before you think _you_ do.”

“I _do_.” She let out a breathy chuckle. “I’m not asking you to believe me.”

“Let’s say I did,” she began. He turned an arched eyebrow toward her. “I could give you some medical treatment, in exchange for some answers.”

“Answers?” At his pause, she nodded. “To what kind of questions?”

“You have to know you’re a very special ghost, Phantom. We’ve noticed, and we’re just _watching_ you. We want to know how you’re different, _why_.”

“No thanks, but I appreciate the offer.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Maddie said, really sounding dejected for a moment. “But you’ll bleed out if you don’t get help.” Danny’s eyes widened at that, not quite sure what her angle was. A smile teetered on her lips. “Really, just let me take you down to my lab and we’ll stitch you right up.”

“I’m fine,” he said evenly. “I’d really just love to be left alone.”

She gave him a funny look before speaking again. “So you came to a ghost hunter’s house?” He shrugged. “You know, I’m not sure asking me to leave you alone in _my_ house is your best play. See, if _I_ were you, I’d take advantage of any kindness. Since we both know the alternative.” Maddie’s gun twitched in her hand, and he knew she could see his face turn sour once he understood her.

“You’re not stupid, Phantom.” She stepped closer to him. “You know there’s only one option here.” He tried to inch back, but the motion sent a blast of pain through him and he stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes flickered around the kitchen, looking for something, _anything_ to help him.

And then he saw it. One of the many pots he’d left on the oven after dinner, his ghost sense pushing his chores back on his schedule. He used all the energy he had to stagger back, throwing his arms out as he forced himself to lose balance, knocking himself and several pots to the ground. The noise was deafening, definitely loud enough to carry throughout the house.

A curious look crossed her face, but before she could say anything Jazz ran down the stairs and into the room. “Mom? What happened?” He could see her eyes glance from the gun in their mom’s hand to Danny bleeding on the floor and back to their mom’s face. “Are you okay?”

Maddie’s gaze was trained firmly on Danny. “It’s fine, sweetie. Now that you’re awake, why don’t you go wake your father? He’ll be happy to see this.” Jazz’s face was etched with concern.

“Get Dad? But he’s a terrible shot,” she stammered.

“We’re not _shooting_ him, Jazz,” she hissed.

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Does it-” Maddie sacrificed a frown towards Jazz. “Does it matter?” It was just enough time for Danny to pull invisibility around himself; his stomach, in the few parts it had pulled itself back together, reopened, spilling ectoplasm on the ground, but his mom was too distracted by her argument with Jazz over his disappearance to notice.

He pulled himself up the stairs, legs aching with every step, until he finally made it to his bed, pulling the sheets over his head and straining his core to keep up his transformation.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look, i don’t know shit about biology and i’m not gonna start now. he has ghost powers who cares

It was just over an hour later when Jazz snuck open the door to his room. She closed it with a soft click behind her.

“Danny,” she whispered. He pulled the sheets down so he could see her standing in his doorway. “Can I see it?”

He sighed as he pulled the hazmat suit away from it, the ectoplasm sticking to where the suit had been cut. It would fix itself the next time he transformed, but the cut along his stomach was a different story. With the pressure he’d put on it, the wound was beginning to stitch itself back together, but he knew it would scar.

“That looks really bad.” She grimaced and intertwined her fingers. “I tried to come in sooner, but Mom was awake.”

“I’m betting she’s real pissed?” he laughed, but the movement made his stomach ache.

Jazz smiled softly. “Beyond.” She took in a shaky breath before saying, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “It would’ve been better with stitches, but I held it together and my super ghost powers totally healed it up quick. It’ll scar, but it wasn’t as deep as it looked.” She gave him a quizzical look that made his skin crawl. “What?”

“I mean emotionally. Mom… looked like she was going to hurt you…” He noticed tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. “Like, like she _could_ have hurt you.”

“I guess.” He hung his head. “I could barely get myself out of there.”

Her hand hovered over his shoulder for a moment before resting on it. “That was smart thinking with the pots. I guess it’s actually _good_ you didn’t do your chores.”

He gave her a humorless laugh. “What makes you think I’m not just clumsy?”

She shrugged and chuckled. “Guess I just know you better than that.”

The quiet lull in the conversation made them both realize just how quiet the night was. They remained in the silence for a while, Jazz with a worried look on her face, until she finally cut the quiet, “She wouldn’t have done it if she’d known it was you.”

“I know,” Danny answered quickly.

“I don’t want to rush you or pressure you or anything but-”

“I can’t tell her. Either of them,” he said quickly. She nodded, head bowed to stare at her hands resting on her lap. His face burned at her lack of response. “I’m just not ready for them to know. It’s so much to explain and…”

“And?” she gently prompted after a moment of hesitation.

“And things will change. I’m just not ready for that.”

“Nothing will change, Danny. They’ll still love you. I know things are weird because of how they see Phantom, but they love _you_. And that won’t stop because you’re… different than they thought you were.”

“That’s-” he sighed. “That’s not really what I’m worried about.” Jazz nodded, eyebrows low over her eyes. “I guess… Like, even when I told you, things changed.” He saw the look on her face and quickly backtracked, “I don’t mean I’m mad you know or something. I’m happy you do. But you look at me differently. Like you’re _proud_ of me or something.”

“I am proud of you.”

“No,” he groaned. “That’s not… I guess I don’t know how to explain it.”

“That’s okay. Take your time. We’re in no rush.” They _were_ in a rush — or, Jazz was at least. She had her last final before winter break tomorrow, and didn’t have the time to be sitting up talking to him about his stupid feelings. But the look on her face told him to think it through, that he was more important. And that was enough. So he did.

Eventually, the words came to him. “I don’t _like_ that they hate me — I mean, _Phantom_. But I at least _know_ what’s gonna happen right now. I _know_ I’m safe. Well, for the most part.” He released a shaky breath. “Like, I know that my next battle will be telling them. But _after_ that, I don’t know what will happen. Sure, they’ll accept me, I don’t doubt that. But _then_ what? Will they want to experiment on me? Will they want to team up to fight ghosts?” His voice began to shake. “Will the GIW break up our family right as we’re really connecting again? I don’t know if I can even take that chance.”

Jazz meditated on the words for a long time before she responded. “I think I understand. And I’m not going to tell you what to do. But whatever happens _will_ happen eventually. And wouldn’t you rather not have to deal with the secrets in the meantime?”

His eyes were glazed over with sleep by now, but he nodded. “Yeah. I guess.”

“Well, little brother, I think you know what you have to do,” she said, taking his hand and squeezing it.

“Can you- can you be there with me when I tell them?”

She gave him a hopeful smile. “I’ll be by your side whenever you need me, Danny.”


	3. Chapter 3

When Danny awoke the next morning, his stomach was covered in a dull pain, the white scar standing out even on pale skin. He pushed himself down the stairs, where his mother was dressed in her hazmat suit, mopping spilled ectoplasm off the floor; he hadn’t realized he’d lost so much. At least he knew now why he’d had so much difficulty trying to use his powers last night.

“What happened in here?” he managed. “Dad try to make breakfast again?”

He saw the worry lines etched deep into her face even as she peered up at him to smile. “Not quite, sweetie. I don’t think I’ll have time to cook today. Why don’t you just have some cereal?” He started towards the cupboard but quickly stopped.

“Do you need help?”

Maddie gave him a funny look. “Who are you and what have you done with Danny Fenton?”

He chuckled, “It just looks like you could use a hand.”

Her face softened from its teasing grin, “That’s all right. I’ll be fine.”

By the time he’d finished his bowl of Apple Jacks, his dad had made his way downstairs and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Morning, Danno. You’re up early.”

“Busy day at school, can’t be late,” he shrugged. His parents exchanged an incredulous look.

“Well, if you get a second, could you help me out in the lab? I have some stuff I need to move around before we get to work.”

“Sure, I have a few minutes,” he nodded, standing to place his bowl in the sink, and followed his dad downstairs.

“I just need these drums over by the corner, sound good?” Danny shrugged in response.

“How has school been going?” he asked, picking up the first drum, Danny quickly finding a grip on the other side.

“Fine,” he answered blankly. The wound on his stomach ached as he shifted his weight to support the barrel.

“That’s good to hear,” he paused as they dropped the barrel to the ground. “Is your grade getting any better in P.E.?”

“Probably not.”

Jack cocked his head. “You’ve gotten a lot stronger in the last few months. I would’ve never asked you to help me with this in summer.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond — _Oh yeah, ghost fighting really helps with these gains._ “Thanks,” was all he could think to say, picking up the next drum.

After a few were done, his father leaned up against one of them and began to speak. Danny kept dragging it through the room, though it was considerably more difficult than when his father was helping. “Look, Danny. There’s something we need to tell you.” Danny stopped moving the barrel and looked at his father.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, eyebrows pressing together.

“Last night…” His father’s voice trailed off and it took everything he had to keep his face emotionless. “Your mother found the ghost kid in our kitchen.” He looked like he wanted him to say something, but Danny stayed quiet. “Obviously, this indicates the kind of danger you are in. Ghosts can be anywhere, at any time. And we want you to be safe, Danno. So, while we know you have expressed your… hesitation for it in the past, but we think it’s best you start carrying around some ectoweapons.”

His father’s gaze flicked up to his face, probably looking for something but Danny didn’t know what. It all seemed a bit rehearsed, a bit more like Mom had told him what to say, and he guessed that’s exactly what happened. They had probably talked about it last night; that’s what had kept Jazz from checking on him for so long.

“It won’t be anything too large. Maybe just the Specter Deflector and the Fenton Wrist Rays.”

“Dad, I don’t know…”

“I know they’re not very stylish, but you don’t know what it would do to me to see you hurt.” And he did look sad… _scared_.

He should’ve just said it then, the words were right there on the tip of his tongue. But they twisted around themselves, leaving him silent and letting anxiety settle over his skin, until he could finally push out, “I have to get to school. Can I talk to you about it after?”

Jack’s mouth opened to say something more, but no words came out. He pursed his lips and nodded. As Danny sprinted up the stairs, his dad called, “Love you, kiddo.”

“Love you too, Dad,” he yelled back.


	4. Chapter 4

As he climbed the stairs, he heard Maddie and Jazz arguing in the kitchen. He waited in the doorway of the basement, knowing interrupting at the wrong time would mean being roped into their argument.

“He wouldn’t have hurt us, Mom,” Jazz said.

“Don’t be stupid, Jasmine,” Maddie snapped. A moment of tense silence passed between them, and when it ended, Maddie’s voice was even, “Sorry, baby. That was the adrenaline. I understand that you two trust the ghost kid to protect you, but he’s a danger to our family. To the whole town. He would’ve hurt you last night if he got the chance.”

“He was _clearly_ injured,” she returned angrily. It was a fight he’d heard so many times, Jazz defending him even when it was in vain, his mother stubbornly refusing to listen.

“Ghosts can’t be injured,” Maddie groaned. “I’ve told you that a million times.”

“Well, maybe this one _can_.”

“That’s not how ghosts work.”

“How would you know?” she spat.

“We’ve devoted our entire lives to studying them, Jazz,” Maddie explained, so uncomfortably, perfectly calm. “I know it’s hard to see, especially with him seeming like such a hero, but ghosts are dangerous. You know I hesitate to call them evil, it’s such an objective term, but it really is the best way to describe them.”

Her eyebrows were pinched together, the way they got when she was really frustrated. “That’s so regressive, Mom.”

“Maybe,” Maddie shrugged, “but it’s true.”

Jazz was going to say something more, he knew; their conversations always fizzled out with Jazz’s angry tears after turning into yelling, and they were starting to get loud. He slipped fully into the room and both women turned to look at him, regaining composure as they did.

“Danny, hey,” Jazz said, wiping the beginning of tears from the corners of her eyes. “You ready to go?” He nodded, grabbing his backpack from where she held it out for him. “Let’s hurry then, I want to go to my locker before class.” She and Maddie didn’t look at each other as the siblings left the room.

In the car, Jazz was clearly coming off the high of frustration, movements jerky and too quick for precision.

“Do you want me to drive?” he asked.

Jazz stopped jabbing the keys into the ignition for a moment, leaned back in her seat, and gave him a condescending look. “You just got your permit, dummy. No way I’m letting you total my car.” Her voice was still shaky with rage, and she sighed. “I’m sorry you had to hear that in there.”

He shrugged. “You don’t have to defend me,” he said after a moment.

“No…” Her face was twisted up in annoyance. “But she’s being stupid. And it’s not fair to you.”

“I guess not,” he said quietly.

“I know what I said last night, but you don’t have to tell them, Danny.” He shrugged again. “It was selfish of me to tell you to.”

“I want to,” he admitted and she gave him a disbelieving look. “You were right. I’m really tired of keeping it a secret.”

“But she can be so-” She took a moment to decide on a word as she slipped the keys into the ignition, “-ignorant sometimes.”

He nodded. “Yeah, she really can. But she’s going to do it either way, and this way you can totally prove her wrong.”

Jazz chuckled, “Can’t argue with that.” A moment of silence passed between them. “You can actually be kinda smart sometimes, did you know?"

He made a face at her, then joked, "I'm just as surprised as you are." 

"Do you still want me to be there when you tell them?”

“Of course I do,” he said, then quickly tacked on, “If you’re okay with that.”

“I already told you, little brother. You don’t even have to ask.” And she moved the car away from the house.


	5. Chapter 5

Jazz pulled her car into the driveway, and it hadn’t even lurched back with the parking brake when Danny jumped out, phasing through the door as he went. She always got mad at him when he did this, scolding him to just be patient, and he’d tease her that she was just jealous because she hated parking.

He slipped quietly through the living room to the kitchen, opening a cupboard and looking for something to eat. Usually his parents would still be in the lab, but he was startled to find them sitting at the kitchen table when he turned around, still and smiling at him. His face must have been funny, because his mom said, “Sit down with us for a minute, Danny.” He slipped into one of the seats across from them, opening the granola bar in his hand and shoving it in his mouth.

“What’s wrong,” he slurred through a full mouth.

“Nothing’s wrong, baby,” Maddie smiled. “We just want to continue you and your dad’s conversation from this morning.”

“Oh,” he muttered dejectedly.

“We’d really like you to start carrying around some of our protective gear,” she said. It didn’t miss him that she didn’t say weapons. Jazz came in then, dropping her keys onto the counter. She raised an eyebrow at their positions at the table, but said nothing and pulled open the fridge. “It would make us feel better about your safety.”

He scrunched up his nose and bit into the granola bar. Jack sighed loudly. “Danny,” he said firmly, making all three of them turn to him. “We love you and you can’t understand how we feel with you in danger so often.”

“You’re father’s right, sweetie,” Maddie said. “We’re not asking you to fight the ghosts or anything. It’s _okay_ that you’re scared of it. We won’t try to change that.” Jazz cautiously slid into the spot next to him.

“I’m not…” he sighed, voice going quiet before it could well up with emotion. They didn’t even seem to hear him as they shared a glance.

Jazz sighed and their parents turned their eyes towards her. “Maybe,” she began, “Danny’s problem with the weapons isn’t that he’s scared.” She gave him a pointed look, and he really _was_ going to use this moment to explain. Until his dad pitched in.

“Of course he’s not,” Jack bellowed, sparing a grinning glance towards Danny. “My boy _knows_ we’ll protect him when he needs us to. We’ll rip any ghost that threatens our family to shreds. They won’t know what hit ‘em. Right, Danny?”

Danny shrugged, slumping down in his seat. For all he tried to be supportive, his dad really did have the _worst_ timing.

“Dad…” Jazz hissed, exasperated.

“I know ghosts are scary, Danny. But they can’t hurt you if you’re protected. And since we can’t be everywhere at once, using our inventions will keep you safe,” Maddie explained. She reached out a hand to hold his, but he stood up too quickly for her to reach it.

His words stumbled out when he finally found something to say, “Look. I-I’m not about to commit social suicide by carrying around my p-parents’ stupid inventions. Jazz may be fine with it, b-but I’m not.”

The hurt was clear on their faces, even Jazz’s, but he was too much of a coward to come clean now. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, not that it meant much. He opened his mouth to apologize further, but found himself at a loss for words, and turned on his heel to walk away.

“It’s not about being popular, Danny. It’s about safety,” Jack exclaimed. He stopped in his tracks but didn’t turn around.

“I’m not in any danger,” he said finally. It was a stupid, childish thing to say. Even if he could hold his own in a fight, he still had that stupid human vulnerability the ghosts didn’t have to deal with. Just last night he could’ve bled out. He realized with a start that he could’ve been _shot_.

“We can’t always protect you,” Maddie offered.

“No, you can’t.” It was all anger talking now. He turned to face them.

“Sure we can, Mads,” Jack returned, like he hadn’t heard Danny.

“He was in our _house_ last night, Jack. He could’ve done _anything_. He could’ve hurt the kids.” They weren’t talking to him anymore, but he and Jazz watched them carefully.

Jack’s face was exasperated, he was clearly struggling for words. At least Danny knew where he got that from. “We can’t always protect them,” she continued. “No matter how much we want to.” She turned to Danny. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but we can’t. But we have to at least _try_ to help you in some way. And our inventions are the best way to do this.”

“ _No_ ,” he hissed. “Your inventions won’t help me.”

“I know our inventions can be a little… inconvenient when they target you, Danny. But they won’t hurt you or anything.” Maddie gave him a sympathetic look.

“Yes they will,” he argued.

“It’s just the residual ectoplasm from living around it for so long,” Jack explained.

“It’s _not_ , you don’t… I don’t…” His head spun, so he leaned against the wall beside him.

“You’ll be fine, sweetie,” Maddie said. “We’ll tweak them so they don’t-”

“You _can’t_ ,” he said, cutting her off abruptly.

Maddie pursed her lips. “Why?” she asked finally.

“Because I-” His voice caught in his throat.

Jazz looked at him with wide eyes. _You really want to do this right_ now _?_ , she seemed to ask. And no, he didn’t. But he got his poor timing from his father; either he did it now or he’d always chicken out. Of course, he'd probably regret that he'd done it out of anger, but it was better than nothing. He raised himself from the wall, standing straight, towering above them as they sat at the table. He finally realized how tall he’d gotten in the past few years.

“Because _I’m_ Phantom.”

His parents both looked confused for a moment, entirely silent until Maddie said, “What?”

“I…” Jazz gave him a supportive nod. It was too late to take it back, he supposed. So he let the cold energy humming in his core spread throughout his body, the light run over his skin and brighten the room for a moment. And when it dimmed back down, he was a few inches off the floor in the way he couldn’t really help in this form. He couldn’t read the expression on his parents’ faces. “I’m Phantom.”


	6. Chapter 6

Their silence was making him nervous, to put it lightly. They exchanged a surprised glance, a prolonged one that made it clear they were having a silent conversation about him. Jazz cleared her throat, making them both turn back to him.

“How did this…” Maddie said, nervously drumming her hands on the table. “What is… How are…”

“Are you possessing our son?” Jack demanded, cutting off her nervous ramblings. Danny couldn’t help but notice the way both of their hands had unconsciously shifted to their waists, where their ectoguns always hung; at least neither had made contact with them yet.

“N-no, Dad. It’s just me,” Danny said. He sighed, not really sure what to say next. “I’m… sorry, if this is too much.” He let the transformation fade, heat returning to his body and feet making a soft _thump_ on the tile as he fell back to the ground.

“And you are… I don’t…” Maddie began. She took a deep breath, centering herself — which was reassuring, because he was pretty sure he’d never seen his mom at such a loss for words. “Can you explain?”

“Start from the beginning, Danny,” Jazz said quietly.

“Right… Right,” he said, fingers fidgeting around each other. “So you remember when the portal started working? With — um, with my accident?” His parents both nodded uncertainly. “Basically, I turned it on — not on purpose — but something, like, happened when I did. I think I might’ve gotten electrocuted? I don’t know. Sam and Tuck said my heart stopped for a few minutes — it’s fine now though, don’t worry. But when I woke up — like, I realized it a little bit later, but I could kinda do stuff. Like, ghost stuff.”

“That,” Maddie said, “is very interesting. I suppose it gives us something to consider about the nature of our portal. And ghosts as a whole. But, Danny-” She said his name with a hesitance that made his heart ache; her words ceased when a pained look crossed her son’s face.

“Are you dead?” Jack asked bluntly, the corners of his eyes gathering tears. Danny couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen his dad cry.

“No, I’m… I mean, maybe for a minute, but…” Danny faltered. “Here.” He walked over to his father, grabbed his arm by the wrist — it had been shaking wildly — and pressed his palm to his chest. After a moment, Jack’s tears escaped their confines and ran in thick lines down his cheeks. He stood and pulled Danny into a suffocating hug.

“You know, Danno,” he said, clumsily wiping his face as he pulled away. “I’m gonna be honest. I have a hell of a lot of questions about all this. But I’m so happy you told us. I want you to know, I love you so much. And I’m sorry we made you feel you couldn’t tell us sooner.”

“No, you didn’t…” he began, but that wasn’t true. He was never afraid his parents wouldn’t _eventually_ accept him, but the stress about how they would _react_ was always at the back of his mind. How this would change things between them still sent a jolt of anxiety through him.

A beat of silence passed as Jack rubbed his back, Maddie still sitting in shock that now manifested in silence.

He just let Jack hold him until Maddie, who had been sitting in silent shock, jumped up, at which point Jack stumbled back to check on her. She exclaimed, “Shit, _shit_ ,” and ran around the table, grabbing Danny’s face in her shaking hands and nervously examining his head.

“Mom, mom, stop.” He pulled away from her. She recoiled instantly, clutching her hands to her heart, eyebrows pressed together sternly. “What are you doing?”

He wasn’t surprised by her reaction. His mother had never been the one to comfort him, that was always his father. Throughout his childhood, she wasn’t as emotionally supportive as Jack, preferring straightforward solutions to comforting words. Much of the time, Danny appreciated that activism, but right now he just wanted her to tell him that this was okay.

“Last night, you…” She fell into silence once more, and he could see the worry on her face.

“Oh, _oh_. Yeah, I’m fine. That happens all the time. It’s all healed up, see?” He pulled up his shirt to show off the jagged, pinkish scar that ran across his stomach. It still ached in a funny way now, more residual than anything, but pain nonetheless. She hesitantly reached a hand forth and brushed it alongside the length of it, breath hitching in her throat as she did.

She gave a breathy, “Thank God,” and returned her hands to her chest. “Are you sure we don’t need to… go have a doctor check this out?”

“Yeah, it’s no big deal. Like I said, it’s a pretty common occurrence.”

“He heals really quickly,” Jazz pitched in.

Maddie spared her a brief glance Danny couldn’t see from where he stood, before quickly returning her gaze to him. “But you lost so much…” she said.

“Ectoplasm,” Danny finished for her. She nodded hesitantly. “It’s all good now. Don’t worry.”

Maddie was quiet for a moment. “I… I don’t think you understand, hon. All I can do right now is worry. I didn’t… There’s so much I should’ve picked up on and I didn’t. My _son_ … baby, you _died_.” He noticed water gathering on her lashes. “I know you said you’re alive, but ectoplasm can only bind with deceased cells. So even if you’re fine now… at least for a moment… And I didn’t even _notice_.”

“I mean… I didn’t want you to know. I hid it on purpose.” Danny explained.

“I know,” Maddie sighed. She grabbed Danny’s hands in her own, hands quaking with nerves, and sat down in the chair he’d previously occupied. The next time she spoke, her voice cracked, on the brink of tears, “I _know_.” She took in a wet, shaky breath. “And I feel terrible that you had to do that. I just… I don’t understand how I _missed_ it.”

“Mads, honey, it’s not like we’re expecting our son to be…”

“Half-ghost,” Danny said.

“Half-ghost.” Jack echoed.

Maddie had her violet eyes trained on him, covered in a shiny glaze of what would soon be tears. “I’m sorry about… everything, but especially about what I said last night.”

“It’s fine, you didn’t know.”

“No, but…”

“Besides, you even said you weren’t going to shoot me, so,” he shrugged. “No big deal.” The look that crossed all three of their faces made him feel like he was missing something. “What?”

“Nothing, baby. You’re right,” Maddie said, wiping the infant tears from her eyes with her free hand. She placed the hand atop his when she was done, enveloping his palms in a sandwich between her own. “We’d never hurt you, honey.” But the look on her face made him feel stupid, and Jazz’s eyes focused uncharacteristically on the table below her didn’t help ease his nerves.

His father clapped him on the shoulder, breaking the tension that now settled in the kitchen. “All right, champ. What do you say we go get dinner as a family?”

“That sounds great, Dad,” he grinned, pulling away from his mom for a moment to see him better, which made her shrink into herself.

But dinner would have to wait, because the distinct, cold exhale of his ghost sense would pull him away from his family. His eyebrows drew down as his father’s reached for his silvery hairline. “What’s wrong?” Jack asked.

“Ghost sense,” he said, producing a confused glace between his parents.

“It means there’s a ghost nearby,” Jazz explained, finally looking up from the table.

“Ah,” Jack nodded. “Then do what you need to do, Danno. Dinner can wait a bit.”

Danny nodded, pulling himself into his ghost form. His parents looked at him strangely, somewhere between accepting and terrified. “Right. I’ll be — um, I’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Wait, Danny,” Jazz said, pulling her backpack closer to her and rummaging through it. She tossed him the thermos she kept in there.

“Thanks,” he said, sparing one last glance towards his parents before he floated up through the ceiling.


	7. Chapter 7

For the third time today, Danny was helpfully dragged away by the universe, effectively saving him from spending too long in a moment that caused him a great deal of anxiety. He hadn’t realized the sweat beading on his forehead, quickening of his heartbeat, and nervous energy coursing through his veins until he’d left the house and the cool air of the beginning of winter brought him back to reality. It wasn’t that he hated how the conversation was going — in fact, it was actually turning out a lot better than he’d anticipated — it was merely that his nerves had finally been released after so long of keeping them hidden.

As for the ghost, it was one of the many faceless leviathans with the huge, pulsing tentacles; they were ancestors to the ectopuses, slipping through the portal much more infrequently than their offspring, but acting much more destructively when they did. He easily dodged their massive arms sweeping through buildings, glass and bricks falling unceremoniously to the ground; as large as they were, they were slow. But that also meant they were substantial, harder to land a hit that actually did any damage.

They were a few blocks from the house by now, inching towards the park Danny spent hours at as a kid. The promise of oncoming rain meant it would likely be empty, and Danny said a quick _thank you_ to the clouds for not yet spilling onto the ground. Rain always made fights harder; he couldn’t see as well with it.

The leviathan across from him roared, a deep, guttural sound that sent shockwaves through his chest. He was quick to sneak up behind it, working an ectoblast into the back of its neck. It turned quickly, or as quickly as it could, but Danny flew above it, missing its gaze. He sent a series of blasts to the spots that seemed like they should be vulnerable — eyes, stomach, groin. Of course, ghost anatomy was hard to grasp, and for as long as he’d fought them, Danny still couldn’t determine which spot his hit would cause the most damage to, since it varied so much between beings. He just sort of hoped for the best right now.

It managed to grab him in a sticky tentacle when his guard was down, distracted as he ensured the park was abandoned. The suction would leave huge, bubbling marks tonight, and he frowned at that. He pulled himself into intangibility to escape, but as soon as he did and brought himself back to tangibility, the leviathan hit him hard, sending him barreling into the ground. He slammed into a curb, sending a jolt through his back.

“Stupid city planning,” he said to himself. “Who the hell asked for sidewalks?” He floated back into the air quickly, the leviathan already rolling away, likely assuming it had put him out of commission.

He’d overshadowed people before, going intangible and pressing their consciousness back so he could take control of their movements; luckily, the peripheral bodily functions always regulated themselves. And he’d been overshadowed himself — it was a shockingly cold sensation, and he was always more conscious of it than he assumed the humans he’d overshadowed were, if their reactions were any measure. But the feeling of entering a leviathan was quite different.

Perhaps it was because they were so much bigger than him, or because he was consciously choosing not to overshadow it, but it was strangely spacious in here. There was no organs to fill its massive form, creating the sense of a cavern that didn't really exist around him. The darkness didn’t bother him much, mostly because he could see in it; he found the core easily — a dark, sketchy sphere of energy. It glowed black, and this surprised him. He hadn’t seen many ghost cores — or any really, now that he thought about it — but he’d always assumed his resembled the bright white aura that surrounded him in his ghost form.

He plunged his arm into the core without thinking too hard about it; he felt the energy mix with his own first, sending a wave of nausea and dizziness through him, and then the lurch of the leviathan’s body struggling against the contact, which only made the qualms worse. Vomit threatened to penetrate his throat, but he pushed it back and twisted, sending a wave of cold energy into the core. The leviathan’s form flickered around him, and finally, he _pulled_.

The motion propelled him outside of its body, giving him too much momentum. He crashed into the ground, though just into the sidewalk this time, leaving a deep crater in the cement. The leviathan was writhing in pain in front of him, so he pulled the thermos out. It buzzed with energy as he sucked it into it, and it struggled within the metal walls.

He stayed still for a moment, the phantom struggles coming from the thermos threatening to knock him off balance, however unreal they’d seem to human hands. When they finally slowed, he floated home, the sudden fatigue from the fight prompting him to just let the pull of the portal drag him back.

He dropped onto the kitchen floor where his family had been when he left. Now, his parents were gone, but Jazz sat at the table, nose in a book except when she would sneak a bite of an apple. She nodded to him before sliding a bookmark into her novel and setting it on the table. He set the thermos beside it and reverted to his human form. Pink spots stood out on his skin where the leviathan had grabbed him, and he could feel where bruises on his skin would soon appear from where he'd hit the ground.

“Mom and Dad are downstairs if you want to talk to them,” she said. He shrugged in response. “I’m really proud of you, Danny.”

“Thanks,” he said after a moment. The nausea after the fight was still affecting him, so he sat across from her.

“Really.” She grabbed his hand and he snapped his head up to look at her. “You were really brave, telling them.” She paused, pursed her lips. “But I think you’re gonna have to keep being brave for a little while longer.” He raised an eyebrow. “Go talk to them.”

Danny slumped down in the seat. “Yeah.” He sighed, the dizziness finally starting to roll off his back. “Will you come with me?”

Jazz smiled supportively at him. “If you _really_ want me to, yes. But right now, I think you should try this on your own.” He made a face at her and she laughed. “I’m only a shout away if you need me.”

"Yeah, all right," he said, resigned.


	8. Chapter 8

The lab was filled with the bright fluorescent lighting it always was, but now the startling white seemed a bit less threatening than it had been the past few years. Jack and Maddie were in the middle of cleaning the room, the smell of Pine-Sol was thick in the air. They both set down their mops when Danny came down the stairs, Maddie’s face was pinched tight but Jack’s was plastered with a warm smile.

“Hey, Danno. You ready for dinner?” Jack asked, giving him a huge grin.

“Sure thing,” he returned.

“Know what you want?”

“Whatever’s fine.”

“I’m thinking that pizza place you like? The one in Elmerton?”

“Sounds good to m-”

“You look peaked,” his mom said at last, crossing the room to examine him. She lifted his arms and stared at the pink marks that covered them. “What happened?”

He shrugged. “Just a ghost.” She rubbed her hand along the bruises littering his arm, collateral from when he’d been thrown on the ground. At least she couldn’t see the large one that would surely be crossing his back with his shirt on. It was tender in the spots she pressed down on, and he gently pulled back from her grasp. She hadn’t seemed to notice his attempt. “They’re not bad, they’ll be gone in a few hours at most.”

“And the ghost?” Jack asked eagerly.

“In the thermos upstairs. I’ll flush it into the Ghost Zone later.”

Jack nodded, face full of pride. “I want all the details, okay, son? What was it, how did you manage to trap it…” He prattled off questions Danny was ready to answer, until Maddie cut him off.

“Hold on,” she exclaimed. “Look, Danny. I’m very happy you told us the truth. But that doesn’t mean I’m okay with all this.”

Danny’s breathing stopped for a moment, heart sinking with every moment she was silent, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. He leaned forward onto the balls of his feet, letting his core grow stronger inside him, ready to disappear if need be.

“I’m proud you’re following in our footsteps,” she continued. “And I’m so glad you have become so... responsible. But, sweetie, it’s clear that this is hurting you. And I don’t know if I can accept that.”

“Mom,” he began, relief washing over him but quickly being replaced by teenage stubbornness. “I’ve been doing this for years and I’m fine.”

She sighed loudly. “Maybe. But from what I saw last night... and from what I’m looking at now, it doesn’t seem that way.”

“Maddie,” Jack said smoothly. “Maybe we should listen to Danny. I mean, if he says he’s fine...”

“Look at him, Jack. He’s covered in bruises and welts.” Jack opened his mouth to speak, but Maddie hissed, “He’s _hurt_. We have to do _something_.”

“I’m fine, Mom,” Danny said. “Really, what you said about ghosts not feeling pain isn’t totally wrong.” Her eyes glittered now, angry tears cresting on her eyelashes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s fine, Danny,” she said, then quickly turned to Jack. “But we still need to at least… I don’t know, maybe we should take him to a hospital…”

“He said he’s fine, Mads. Besides, he doesn’t look so bad. Like he slipped in the kitchen maybe.” He snuck Danny a wink; it was an excuse he’d used to explain away several bruises in the last few years. “We don’t need to blow this out of proportion.”

“I thought Phantom was going to die last night,” she finally confessed, her voice high with stress. “I thought he — you,” she corrected, turning to Danny, “were so weak we could capture you.” Tears were coming in streaks down her face. Had he _ever_ seen her cry? “I wasn’t going to _shoot_ you because I was going to _dissect_ you. Maybe even destroy you. On... on purpose.”

His mind went blank, not quite sure how to react; all he could say, pathetically, was, “Oh.”

“Maddie,” Jack scolded. “I thought we were going to wait to tell him that.”

“I’m so sorry, baby. There’s no way I would’ve done it — even _considered_ it if I had known.” He felt the guilt radiating off her, so powerful it sent a ripple of that nausea back through his body. Or maybe it was the realization that she could’ve — and would’ve — actually hurt him. His own mother.

“Danny,” Jack started, clearly trying to find the words to mend this. “We didn’t... She doesn’t... We’re scientists and…”

“N-no,” he said shakily. “No, it’s f-fine. I — um, I sh-should’ve realized. I-it’s not like you haven’t s-said it before. It was s-stupid of me to not at l-least guess.” He could feel his bones rattle with anxiety, stuttering on almost every word. “B-but I’m gonna... I’m gonna go for a walk or s-something. Uh, r-rain check on dinner?” Danny let out a humorless laugh, pushing into invisibility.

He wanted to run upstairs, find solitude in his room, ask Jazz how to react, just do _something_. But his stupid legs were chained to the ground. Did they know he was still in here? Did they care?

Maddie pushed her head into Jack’s chest. “I know, Jack. I’m sorry I said anything. But I couldn’t keep it from him. He can’t feel safe here when we’re a danger to him. I can’t lie to him.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

“But we _know_ now. We aren’t going to hurt him now.”

“But we could have. And I almost did. And I know he’s a kid, but, God, he’s so naïve. Telling us _now_ , after I just almost captured him.” Her voice shook. “Tortured him. We could’ve — _would_ have hurt him, and he _still_ told us.”

 _It’s guilt, not hate_ , he kept trying to tell himself. But it didn’t do much for the bitter, lonely feeling making a home in the bottom of his stomach. His dad tried to reason with her, but the words passed by him unheard, his heart too loud in his ears to hear the rest of what they were saying.

Finally, _finally_ he worked up the courage to float silently up the stairs, pass an unknowing Jazz, and phase through the front door, where the rain was coming down in thick sheets. He was still only wearing a t-shirt. The rain was cold on his skin, but it wasn’t like he cared very much, not with loneliness already icing over his heart.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was originally going to be with some random one-off character, but i couldn't pass up a chance to include my favorite football boy. probably wouldn't hurt to imagine their relationship with a little less... animosity while you're reading. anyway, enjoy!

There wasn’t really anywhere for him to go. Usually when he was down, he’d talk to Jazz, but he couldn’t burden her with this. As willing as she’d be to listen, he wasn’t sure if this would make her irreparably hate their parents, however unlikely that was, or try to talk him out of feeling bad, which he took as the more likely option. But he needed to be a bit gloomy right now, or _he_ might start hating their parents.

A few people in cars slowed as they passed him walking on the streets, likely worried about the kid walking out in the rain in a t-shirt. But none of them stopped to help. When he passed an alleyway, he ducked into it and switched into ghost form, dragging himself higher into the air and finding somewhere high up to sit.

It would be smart to go intangible, but he couldn’t bring himself to. The rain slid off the hazmat suit in a way that made him feel too inhuman, a feeling that pressed on his heart even if it felt the same on this skin as it did on his human skin. He finally stopped at an unfamiliar building, resting with his legs dangling under the sliver of awning hovering over the façade.

Danny knew logically that it was unfair to be so melancholy; after all, they were scientists who studied ghosts, it only made sense they’d want to study Phantom. Mom had even mentioned what a unique ghost he was. But he couldn’t get passed the sudden _fear_ he now got from his parents. It was small, fully aware of the unlikeliness of their studying of him, but still present.

Guilt wasn’t really one of the things he’d expected from his parents after telling them. Fear, anger, stress, sure — and he’d had plans for all that. But this… he didn’t even know how to react.

And, of course, there was what she said about his naïveté. For as much as he’d assumed he could trust them, she clearly thought he shouldn’t. By virtue of their profession. Did their love pale in comparison to their curiosity? She said she wouldn’t hurt him now, but that sense of unease still crept along the periphery of his mind.

He hadn’t realized the feeling of his throat constricting until a voice beside him asked, “Phantom?” He turned, steadying his breathing as quickly as he could. “Why are you outside my window?”

Danny blinked. He couldn’t make out the figure in the rain, even if they weren’t wearing a large, dark hoodie. “Sorry. Am I bothering you out here? I can leave.”

The figure cocked their head. “Nah, just opening the window for some fresh air. The heater kinda fucks with my sinuses.” He nodded, and the figure was quiet for a moment. “Um… do you want to come inside?”

“What?”

Their hand scratched their chin. “Well, it’s kinda cold — I mean, I don’t know if you feel cold, but still. And at least it’s not all wet.”

“Uh… okay, yeah,” he shrugged and crept through the window. It was a bit awkward, he should’ve just phased through the wall, he realized belatedly.

Inside, the figure closed the window and pulled their hood down. “Name’s Dash,” he said. Danny was a bit surprised to see him. He’d known Dash’s parents were separated, but he’d only seen his dad’s house at a party freshman year. He walked around for a bit, nervously bouncing on his feet, before finally finding a towel in a basket full of clothes and tossing it to Danny. “It’s clean, I just haven’t folded my laundry.”

“That’s fine, man. Thanks,” he said.

“No problem. Can I get you something to eat or something? Do ghosts eat?”

Danny grinned. “I’m good.”

“So…” Dash said, lounging on the floor in an open position that offered Danny a spot to sit. He hesitated before taking it. “I can’t say I’ve heard of the town hero making house calls.”

“I’ll have to ask you not to publicize it until I leave.”

Dash chuckled. “You have my word. What brings you ‘round here? Er, outside, I mean. I guess I brought you _in_ here, huh?”

He had a chipper energy mixed in with his nervousness, and the mundanity of it all brought Danny’s mood up from the gutter. “Ah, a ghost’s gotta have his secrets.”

“Sure, sure,” he said, raising his hands defensively, but then his face darkened. “I guess I mean, should I be worried?”

“Oh, no, you’re safe. I was just cruising the skies. Took a quick break.”

“That’s… I mean, don’t most ghosts reside in the Ghost Zone?”

Danny quirked an eyebrow. “You’ve heard of the Ghost Zone?”

“Sure, Jack and Maddie Fenton did a whole lesson on ghosts for my high school class. Learned all about ‘em.”

“Ah,” he nodded. He usually tried to duck out of those assemblies to avoid embarrassment. Now, his heart just sunk at the mention of his parents. He should really be getting back home. Running away was stupid, selfish. He needed to go talk to them, tell Mom it was okay.

“Um… I hope I’m not too invasive when I ask this, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. And obviously you don’t have to answer, I just…” Dash fell into rambles, fiddling with his hands in the pocket of his hoodie.

“Go ahead,” Danny prompted.

“Well, it’s just, you looked kinda bummed outside. And I guess I just wanted to ask if you’re okay? I guess that’s kinda stupid, to ask a superhero about how they’re feeling.”

“It’s not stupid,” Danny said quickly, giving him his best reassuring smile. It was easier to be strong when he looked like this. It was an arbitrary distinction, he supposed, but he felt more heroic in his ghost form. “I appreciate it.”

“So… are you?”

“I’m dead, Dash,” he joked. “I’m like the opposite of okay.” And Dash smiled, but he could still see the worry in the lines on his forehead. He acted more heroic, but he definitely didn’t _feel_ that way. Maybe he should be a bit more human sometimes. “Sorry, I’m… yes, I’m fine. Just… having a thing that’s kinda fucking with me.” His face was drenched in confusion, and Danny struggled to find the words to explain. “Basically, I told someone something that I knew would hurt them, but that they had to know. And now… things are rocky between us. I don’t know if they’ll ever be the same again — if they _can_.” Dash nodded. “Like, I know I’m not handling my shit in the best way. But…” He shrugged, not quite sure what more there was to say.

“That sucks, man.” Danny chucked emptily, and Dash took a moment to continue, forming his words slowly. “And like… I’m sorry you have to go through that. I mean, I guess… I don’t want to overstep my bounds, but, like, you said they needed to know. And even if they’re mad or whatever now, wasn’t it for the best that you told them?”

“In the long run, yes.” He sighed. “It’s the right now that’s the hard part.” But a sense of determination to go back home and really talk to his parents, without leaving this time, was already settling into his bones.

Dash nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry I can’t help you more. But you’re welcome to stay here as long as you need.”

“No, that’s fine. I’m all dry now, so I should get going. Thanks for the towel… and the ear.”

He stood and moved toward the window. “Hey, Phantom?”

“Yes?” he responded, looking at Dash as he sat cross-legged on the floor. “I’ve got your back, if you ever need it.”

Danny smiled. “Thanks, Dash. See you around.” He slipped out the window and into the air, newfound resolve encompassing his mind.


	10. Chapter 10

Danny came in through his bedroom window, dropping his transformation instantly and walking through the hallway. “Dad!” he called. “Mom!”

“They went out to grab a pizza,” Jazz yelled from her room. He sighed and trudged to her doorway, where she was writing something in a purple spiral-bound notebook. “Hey,” she hummed, closing the notebook and sliding it onto her bookshelf. “What’s up?”

“You have homework? For winter break?” he asked.

“Nah, just working on a personal project.” She stood and crossed the room to her bed, offering him the desk chair she’d been sitting on. He pulled his legs to his chest. She cocked her head to the side. “What’s wrong?”

“Hmm?” he asked, glancing up from where his eyes had been fixed — on that one thread on her rug that was much too long for its peers. “Oh, nothing. I was just hoping to talk to them about something.”

She gave him a disbelieving look. “Mom was crying when she came upstairs. She was... mad, amongst other things. Trust me, I don’t think I’ll ever hear the end of how I didn’t tell her.” She laughed humorlessly. “You left.” She sighed and added, “Quietly.” Without telling her, she meant. He’d hidden it from her.

“Yeah, I...” He fiddled with his fingers. “I tried to talk to them and...” He didn’t know what to say.

“And?”

“And Mom... said some stuff,” he decided.

“What kind of stuff?”

“I don’t... It doesn’t matter...” He stood abruptly, stalking to the door without looking at her.

She was surprisingly quick, or maybe he was just slow, beating him there and stopping him with a palm on his chest.

“Tell me?” she requested softly.

“I don’t think you’ll want to know.”

She gave him a funny look that he couldn’t pin down. “I can handle it.”

He groaned but crossed his legs as he collapsed onto her bed, shrinking a few inches as he did. She loomed over him now, but he was taller than her standing, by almost half a foot. He’d taken after his father in his height, but kept his own stupid gangliness. His mom had said that he’d “grow into it eventually,” not that he knew what that meant.

“She said... she was gonna... You know when she said she wasn’t gonna shoot me? Last night, I mean.”

“I-“ she stuttered. “Oh, Danny.” Her hand oscillated between hovering over his shoulder and pulling it close to her chest. She reminded him of Maddie when she did that.

“And I thought at first she really was gonna kill me. But, you know, I could reason with her. Escape if it really came down to it. Even if I was weak. And I did, obviously. But then-“

“It’s okay, you don’t need to-“

But he continued, words spilling out of him before he could even think them. She already figured it out, he knew, long before she did. He just needed to _say_ it, even if it hurt like hell. “She wanted to destroy me. Slowly. Dissect me, she said. Like I wasn’t-“ His voice caught in his throat. “Like I’m not human.” A little tear surprised him by running down his cheek. “And I know I’m not but I thought that if I just told her, she could see that I still am. Kinda. But she’s the expert, I guess. So if she says, then I guess... I’m not. Which means it doesn’t even matter if I’m her son because-“

“Danny.” Jazz said solidly, finally placing a hand on his shoulder, and his ramblings ceased instantly. “I’m not trying to belittle you when I say this, okay? But is that what this is about?”

“What do you mean?”

Her face pinched tight before relaxing. “That you feel like you can't be more than one thing?” He blinked at her, wide eyes outlined by glittering tears.

“I-I guess. I mean, kinda. Like how am I her son and her worst enemy?” He took a shaky breath, raising equally shaking hands to his chest and dropping them harshly onto his lap. “What does she see when she looks at me?”

“You were never...” Jazz tilted her head a bit and moved her hand to his. “I don’t know how you feel right now, and I’m not going to pretend I do. But, Danny, there was a reason why you felt okay to tell them. A reason you wanted to. And I’m sure it probably seems kinda... far away now, because of everything that has happened since you did. But it was because you knew they would still love you. And I promise you that they still do. Even if it may be a little hard to see right now because of all... because of the strength of emotions that have come out of doing so. But their love for you? That’s not going to be something that will ever stop.” He smiled and she found a spot next to him on the bed.

“What about... do you think she’ll want to, like, study me?”

She sighed. “I won’t lie. She most definitely will. However, there’s no doubt in my mind that she won’t try to hurt you, okay? I don’t think that’s something you need to worry about again.” She squeezed his hand. “Not from her.” After a moment, she continued, “And if you don’t want her to run tests or whatever she’ll want to do, Danny, just tell her. Dad and I will back you up.”

Danny raised his head toward her. “Was he... was he mad too when I left?”

Jazz breathed out loudly. “Not... in the same way. You know he’s always been... quieter for things like that. They’re both going to spend a lot of energy trying to make it up to you.” She gave him a small smile. “We’ll probably have to do some family ghost hunting, now that they know you don’t _actually_ hate it.” That drew a grin from him. “But if you don’t want to, I’m sure you can weasel your way out of it or whatever.”

“Honestly, I think I might actually enjoy it.”

“Yeah?” she asked. “So will I.”

“Did they say when they’d be home?”

Jazz shrugged. “Kind of. Went all the way to Elmerton for pizza. That one with the skateboards or whatever on the wall. Not worth it if you ask me, their food’s crap.”

“Hey! That’s, like, my favorite restaurant!” Danny protested.

“I know,” she laughed and ruffled his hair. “That’s why it sucks.”


	11. Chapter 11

When Maddie and Jack got home, Danny and Jazz had moved to the living room to play video games. They sat on the floor in a pile of blankets and pillows, like they had since they’d gotten their first game system for Christmas a few years back.

“Pizza,” Jack announced before they’d even walked through the door, and Jazz paused the game to jump to her feet. “Jazz, why don’t you come help me set the table?”

“Perfect, I’m starving,” she said and followed him to the kitchen. “They served those chicken bowls again at lunch. You know, the ones that always taste undercooked?” She rambled on cheerily to their father, but the words became too distant to hear after a moment.

Danny reached forward from his spot on the ground and powered down the gaming system, carefully removing the cartridge and placing it in their organizer as slowly as he could. Maddie sat nervously on the sofa behind him, and when he finally turned around to face her, legs crossed, he realized she’d changed into plain day clothes.

“Hi, baby,” she said, pursing her lips in what tried to be a smile. “Did you win your game?”

They were both quiet for a long moment; a question burned on the end of his tongue until he finally blurted, “Do you hate me?”

“What — hate you? No, of course not.” She slipped onto her knees on the floor, a few feet away. “How could you think that?” He wasn’t sure how to respond, but he was fairly certain the look on his face said enough. Her eyebrows drew down, and he mentally scolded himself. “I guess that was a silly question.” A long moment of quiet passed between them.

“I’m sorry,” he said finally.

She quirked up an eyebrow. “For what?”

He picked absentmindedly at the carpet below him. “I should’ve told you guys sooner.”

“Sweetie,” she soothed, grabbing his hand as she scooted closer to him. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“You said… in the lab that you weren’t okay with this and-”

“I meant with you getting hurt. I _never_ want to see you hurt, baby.”

“No, I know. It’s just… are you gonna make me stop? Fighting ghosts?”

She considered that for a moment. “Do you want me to?”

He blinked at her, confusion crossing his features. “Um…”

“When you said that just now, it sounded a bit like you’re looking for a way out.” She spoke slowly, carefully. “But earlier… these last few years, too, you seem to at least partially enjoy it.”

“Yeah, I do,” he admitted. “And I know it’s probably just, like, a ghostly obsession thing or whatever, but I kinda like it a lot.”

“So do your father and I,” she chuckled. “No, I’m not going to make you stop. But we are going to have a serious conversation about time management. And…” She let go of his hand and smoothed her creaseless blue jeans. “Danny, just because some of your behaviors or biological functions are… different now, doesn’t mean they’re any less… important. Does that make sense?”

“I guess,” he said, but he really didn’t understand. She could tell, he noticed.

“You said your fighting was a ghostly obsession,” she stated. “I don’t… want you to think that you’re less because you’re…”

“Half-ghost?”

“Yes,” she said. “Half-ghost.” He could tell that she’d forced herself to say it and that sent a pang of guilt through him. “You are as much my son as you always have been.” She rested a palm over his hand as it rested on his thigh, inching her fingers under his hand, and squeezed.

“Do you…” He faltered. “Please don’t get mad when I ask you this.” She frowned but nodded for him to continue. “Do you want to study me?”

She let out a small chuckle. “I hadn’t even thought about that.” It was so unlike her, to forget about her work for even a moment, that he managed a smile. She gave him a funny look. “Why?”

“Because in the lab, you said… and I know you’re a scientist and…” He sighed and trained his eyes on his hands, uncomfortable with how still he’d been keeping them. “When you said you were going to dissect me. I know you’ve said it before, but now that you know…”

“I’m not,” she said calmly and firmly, “going to do anything you don’t want me to, okay?” She turned his hand over and interlaced their fingers together. “Can I ask you a question?” she asked. He nodded uncertainly at the hesitance in her voice. “Why did you tell us now?”

He thought for a long time before deciding, “I just... I told you because I trust you. And maybe that’s stupid and naïve, but…” She’d winced as her own words were regurgitated in front of her, a motion so small someone who hadn’t spent the last two-odd years studying her every move for a sense of danger wouldn’t have noticed. But she quickly regained her composure, an ability he both admired and loathed at this moment.

“It’s not stupid, and I’m sorry you heard that. More than that, I’m sorry I said it. I think it’s… brave to still have love in your heart, even when we didn’t give you much reason to.”

He snorted. “You gave me plenty of reasons.”

“Thank you, baby.” She gave him a sad grin. “You, um… you were in the lab? After we thought you left?”

He lowered his head. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I just… didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t in there long. Sorry.”

She shrugged. “I suppose I can understand why you did it. But don’t try it again because Christmas is coming and I’ll be pissed if you find out your present too early.” He laughed and she released his hand again before standing up. “What do you say we join your father and sister before they eat all the pizza?” She offered him a hand to help him up, and he took it.

It was unlikely, he realized, that one good conversation could make up for the years of lying and the distance that had been growing between them, but Danny felt hopeful that this might be a start to fixing their relationship, to making them a family again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for your kind words along the way & for reading! i really enjoyed writing this piece, i hope y'all enjoyed reading it <3


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